Steele’s voice softened. “Of course, I do.”
She quirked an eyebrow and smiled. That’s all she needed. He remembered he still loved her.
Steele took her arm and extended it over a towel. “Close your eyes and take deep breaths.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and as she breathed out, the first claw slashed her arm. She screamed. The next one followed and then the last. Just as the blinding pain nearly knocked her out, Steele took her into his arms and gently bit her neck. Time slowed. Euphoria took over.
Chapter 17
Steele gazed at Gaby as she slept. Nearly the crack of dawn and he didn’t have the heart to wake her. He smiled. So beautiful. Her tousled hair fanned over her pillow tempted him to rejoin her in bed and hold her in his arms as he had all night. His wife. A member of Rylee’s pack. But how could he keep her? During the last few days, he remembered everything about his life prior to meeting her. His duty to Team Greywolf, his family’s legacy as a royal prince, his commitment to take an alpha mate and one, who without a doubt would never allow him to keep Gaby. How could he think of Gaby as just a whirlwind romance? She was his wife, but felt like a mate. Not possible. He’d been brought up to believe a human could never be a suitable mate. Certainly not for the second highest-ranking royal alpha. Yet, could he leave her for good? He had to think of his future.
Steele stared at his watch. In five minutes, the helicopter would fly him to his brother’s castle. When he last spoke with Conan, he ordered Steele to resign from Team Greywolf. The king insisted he take his place at his side and help run the lycan kingdom. Their last visit ended entirely on bad terms. Steele argued about quitting the team to take up royal duties. That and settle down with an alpha mate. Especially not Princess Kiara, daughter of power-hungry Prince Milton. Despite her high status and his brother’s belief she’d make the best mate, his nightmare about the princess turning on him was most revealing. How could he ever trust her?
Steele gently leaned in and kissed Gaby on her rich brown hair. Savoring her sweet aroma. The bite on her neck would keep her asleep into the late morning. He’d see her soon. Perhaps then, he would have things sorted out. Quietly, he left and headed to the helipad.
Rylee met him at the exit. “Steele, I need a word.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Will you resign from the team?”
Rylee was ever so direct. Steele raked his hair back. “I’m not ready to, but Conan is stubborn as hell.”
“I just had a conference call with him. He said that if you don’t resign, he will insist the council decommission Team Greywolf from the LIA.”
“What? He can’t do that.”
“Enough council members believe we are too involved in human affairs, and yes, he can influence the undecided members to follow his command.”
His hackles rose. “That’s his plan then. Either I leave or he’ll pressure the council to disband Team Greywolf.” After working for the team, he’d come to realize what happened to humans trickled down to their lives. They would always have a connection to humans. Without them, Stallo would never have existed to create the lycan kind.
“King Conan didn’t exactly spell it out in those terms, but yes, it’s bloody blackmail.”
Steele pressed his lips together. He would do whatever it took to keep the team together. Even sacrifice his love of duty. His idea of keeping Gaby as his human, while working for Rylee had been nothing more than a fantasy. Why would Gaby want to stay and be his mistress or rather pet? And how would she put up with his long absences while on a mission? Not to mention his duty to mate and father pups with a proper alpha she-wolf. Gaby would never agree. Nor would his future mate.
A soldier approached. “The pilot is ready, sir.”
He shot Rylee a worried look. “About…Gaby?”
“Don’t worry. She’s a member of my pack. We’ll let her know you’re visiting your brother, the king.”
“Tell her...” No, I can’t say tell her I love her. Not even to Rylee. “Tell her I’ll call her soon.”
“I’ll let her know.”
Reassured Rylee would protect Gaby in his absence, Steele boarded the helicopter. He glanced out the window, longing for Gaby to wake up and stop him from leaving. His gut twisted. Would he see her again? How could he? Humans were inferior and he’d been groomed to help his older brother continue the Wildwood royal legacy. At least that was his old self. In the short amount of time he’d known Gaby, she forever changed his view on humans. He respected humans, but never believed they should be intimately involved with a werewolf. Never as a pet, or as a wife for that matter.
Missing Gaby, Steele endured the short flight to his brother’s hidden castle. Upon landing near the entrance, he disembarked. He carried nothing more than Gaby’s lingering scent as a reminder of the woman he loved. An escort of three alpha guards bowed to him. He followed them inside, where he met the king’s beta, Sinclair. A lycan who had been loyal to their pack when his father ruled.
The beta bowed. “The king awaits you, my liege.”
“Lead the way, Sinclair.” Steele glanced around at the opulent castle. Familiar. The place he lived in after he’d undergone the change. Good memories didn’t mask the bad ones of his father’s betrayal to the packs. The shame of his younger brother who suffered from Griswold’s taint. Despite all the chaos, his older brother, King Conan set out to prove he could be trusted to rule over the packs. To prove his worth and keep his distance from his father’s downfall, Steele joined Team Greywolf.
Steele’s mind clouded as he approached the king’s chambers. What would he tell his brother? I am happy to take my place as royal viceroy or I wish to continue serving Team Greywolf? Oh, yeah, I am married to a human who just happens to be a supposedly extinct wolf charmer. Then again, since they had used fake names, the marriage held no binding legality.
Sinclair led him to his brother’s office den, a large chamber with an elaborate personal library and massive oak desk. Little to no technology. A Victorian era appearance. His brother had left it the way their father and grandfather kept it. The beta bowed to the king. “My liege, Prince Steele.”
Conan stood and sniffed twice. He inhaled deeply and smiled. “Brother. I was so worried you’d been killed.” In two st